Fan attachment for land vehicles



Jan. 28, 1941. w. P. PRocK w FAN ATTACHMENT FOR LAND VEHICLS Filed Oct. 12, 1939 akty/M4411 Patented Jan. 28, 1941 I UNITED sTATEs rATE-NT orric FAN ATTACHMENT FOR LAND VEHICLES William Preston Prock, Fresno, Calif., assignor of one-tenth to Jack Allen, and one-tenth to Mac rms'trong, Fresno, Calif.

Application October 12, 1939, Serial No. 299,199 1 Claim. (Cl. 230-249) This invention relates to an improved fan atfrom the axle housing |2 and is provided with the tachment for land Vehicles and is primarily spaced laterally projecting arms |8 and |9 havadapted to'provide a device for blowing dust ing the bearings 20 and 2|, respectively, at their away from the operator of a land vehicle, Such free ends. Bearings' 20 and 2| are provided with 6 as a -tractor, to eliminate the annoyance and the lubrioating passages 22 normally closed byl discomfort resulting therefrom. the threaded plugs 23.

More particularly, it is an aim of this inven- A shaft 24 is f'ormed of telescop'ing sections intion to provide an attachment especially designed cluding lthe tubular section 25 and the section for use on farm Vehicles and comp'rising a fan, 26 which is slidably mounted in one end of the mounted to be driven from a ground wheel of the section 25. The opposite end of the tubular sec- 10 vehicle for creating a draft of air to carry dust tion 25 is internally threaded to receive the away from the operator of the vehicle. threaded shank 21 of the tapered head 28 which In dry dusty Sections of the country, parp is adapted to-.be journaled in the lower bearing ticularly in prairie country, operators of farm member 2| which is likewise tapered and closed Vehicles are materially hampered in their work at its lower end to receive the head 28. Shaft 15 by dust which n'ot only obscures their vision but 24 p'rojects upwardly through the bearing memfrequently proves injurious to their health, and ber and is provided with a removable and the present invention is designed to provide a adjustable collar 29 for engaging beneath beardevice which may be readily attached to or deing member 20 to prevent lngtlldnal mOVement 20 tached from a land vehicle, particularly those of the shaft relatively to the bearings. Sections 20 employed in farm. work, to provide a blower and 23 are made extensible for varying the for directing the dust away from theoperator length of the shaft 24, for a purpose which will of the vehicle to overcome this condition. hereinafter be eplained, and are adaptedto be Other objects and advantages of the invention fixed in their adjusted position by means of a 25 will hereinafter become more fully apparent from set screw 30. Section 26 adljacent its upper free 25 the following description of the drawing, which end is provided with a fixed or integrally formed illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and collar 3| forming a stem portion 32 thereabove wherein: for receiving a socket type hub 33 which is de- Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the tachably fixed. thereto by a set screw 34 and attachment applied to the ground wheel of a vewhich is provided with a plurality of radiating 30 hicle, arms 35 |to which are secured the fan blades 36.

Figure 2 is a Vertical sectional view, partly in The pitch of the fan 'blades 36 may be governed elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the same, and as desired' by the pitch of the arms 35 to which Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken they are secured.

35 along the line 3-3 of Fgure 2. A small beveled gear 3`| is detachably fixed 35 Referring more particularly tothe drawing, by means of a set screw 38 to the shaft 24 bewherein like reference characters designate like tween bearings 20 and 2| for engaging the teeth or corresponding parts throughout the different of an annular beveled gear 39 which is provided views, |0 designates generally a ground wheel of with the annular 'ofiset portion 40 which is de- 40 a vehicle, not shown, and designates a portion tachably secured by the fastenings 4| to' the hub 40 of an axle of wheel l which is enclosed by the portion 42 of the Wheel IO for driving the fan 36 axle housing |2. The attachment, designated when the Wheel |0 is revolved. generally |3, comprising this invention, while pri- From the foregoing it will be seen, that when marily adapted tol be attached to a rear wheel of the wheel |0 is revolved by the mvement of the 45 a tractor, may be applied to any wheel of any land vehicle its rotation will be imparted to the 45 type of land vehicle depending upon the relative shaft 24 'and" fan blades 36 by the gears 31 and 39 position of the operator's seat to the ground and as the gear 39 is Substantially larger than Wheels and obstructions therebetween which the gear 31 the shaft 24 will b-e driven at inmight affect the positioning of the attachment creased speed relatively tol the wheel |0. Stand- |3, as will herenafter become apparent. ard |6 is adapted to be mounted so that the shaft 50 The attachment |3 includes aplate |4 which is 24 Will be drected 'GOWa'rd the operator of the permanently fixed, in any suitable manner, to vehicle of which the wheel |0 forms a part so the axle housing |2 to receive the base plate that the draft from the fan blades 33 vvill be |5 of the standard IB which is detachably secured directed toward the operator of the vehicle to 65 thereto by the fastenings ll. Standard |6 rises create a draft to blow dust away from the operator while the vehicle is in motion. It will be obvious, |that the attachment |3 may be readily detached from a vehicle by removing the fastenings |1 after which the annular gear 39 may be detached if desired or may -be left in position until t'he fan is again required. If desired, the annular gear 39 could 'be formed permanently on the wheel IIJ and where the attachment |3 is to be used on a p'lurality of Vehicles each could be provided With a gear 39 to simplify the application or removal of the attachment |3. The attachment |3 may be' rendered inoperative, without being removed, by loosening the set screw 38 and raising the gear 31 out of engagement with the gear 39. Collar 29 prevents movement of the shaft 24 longitudinally of the bearings 20 and 2| to hold the gears 31 and 39 in a meshed or released position.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorte'd to provided they fal-l within the spirit andf scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In an-attachment for land Vehicles, a plate securedto an axle housing of a vehicle, a standard having a base plate detachably secured to said first mentioned plate and rising therefrom, bearing members secured to and projecting laterally from said' standard, a shaft formed of telesooping Sections having one end journaled in said. bearings, a fan detacha'bly fixed to the opposite end of said shaft, said' sections being extensible for varying the position of the fan, means for retaining -the Sections in adjusted position, a beveled gear fixed to said shaft adjacent its first mentioned end, and an annular beveled gear fixed to a ground wheel of the vehicle and in mesh with said beveled gear for driving the fan.

' WILLIAM PRESTON PROCK. 

